Session 451: Student Loan Forgiveness & Reclassifying Degrees
Therapy for Black Girls
iHeartPodcasts and Joy Harden Bradford, Ph.D.
4.8 • 5.8K Ratings
🗓️ 18 February 2026
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Student loans have been a source of stress for many of us—but with recent policy changes, shifting repayment requirements, and proposed funding cuts to certain graduate programs, that stress has reached a new level. From confusion about repayment restarting, to fears about forgiveness programs disappearing, to conversations about “reclassifying” degrees like nursing, psychology, and social work, there’s a lot of information circulating—and not all of it is accurate.
To help us sort through what’s really happening and what we can actually do about it, I’m joined by Dr. Sonia Lewis, also known as The Student Loan Doctor. Dr. Lewis is a financial expert who has helped tens of thousands of borrowers navigate repayment, forgiveness, and financial strategy.
About the Podcast
The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.
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Student Loan Forgiveness Form & Info
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, a weekly conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. |
| 0:23.8 | I'm your host, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| 0:30.1 | For more information or to find a therapist in your area, visit our website at Therapy for Blackgirls.com. While I hope you love listening to |
| 0:40.4 | and learning from the podcast, it is not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with a licensed |
| 0:47.1 | mental health professional. Hey, y'all. |
| 0:57.0 | Thanks so much for joining me for session 451 of the Therapy for Black |
| 1:00.6 | Girls podcast. |
| 1:01.9 | We'll get right into our conversation after a word from our sponsors. |
| 1:14.9 | This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human. |
| 1:22.6 | Student loans have always been a source of stress from many of us. But with recent policy changes, shifting repayment requirements, and proposed funding cuts to certain |
| 1:28.9 | graduate programs, that stress has reached a new level. |
| 1:33.2 | From confusion about repayment restarting to fears about forgiveness programs disappearing, |
| 1:38.1 | to conversations about reclassifying degrees like nursing, psychology, and social work, |
| 1:43.2 | there's a lot of information circulating, |
| 1:45.2 | and not all of it is accurate. To help us sort through what's really happening and what we can do |
| 1:50.2 | about it, I'm joined by Dr. Sonia Lewis, also known as the student loan doctor. Dr. Lewis is a financial |
| 1:56.9 | expert who has helped tens of thousands of borrowers navigate repayment, forgiveness, |
| 2:02.7 | and financial strategy. What began as her answering questions after church has grown into a seven-figure |
| 2:08.3 | consulting business with coaches around the world. If something resonates with you while |
| 2:13.1 | enjoying our conversation, please share with us on social media using the hashtag TVG in session |
| 2:18.6 | or join us over in our Patreon to talk more about the episode. You can join us at |
| 2:23.4 | Community.com. Therapy for Blackgirls.com. Here's our conversation. |
... |
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